Attachment for punching and for clearing pouring openings in can tops



Sept. 6 1955 c. c. HART ATTACHMENT FOR PUNCHING AND FOR CLEARING POURING OPENINGS IN CAN TOPS Filed April 12, 1955 INVENTOR. kw/W55 6 4??- BY a E I g9 770i 449 United States Patent ATTACHMENT FOR PUNCHING AND FOR CLEARING POURING OPENINGS IN CAN TOPS Charles C. Hart, Trenton, N. J.

Application April 12, 1955, Serial No. 500,800

3 Claims. (CI. 3016) The invention here disclosed is a device in the nature of an attachment which can be applied to a can of evaporated milk or the like and be left in place thereon and be used first to punch the oppositely located pouring and air vent openings and later be used, as necessary, to clear such openings of caked material that may have closed or restricted such openings.

The objects of the invention are to provide a device of this nature which will be entirely practical and desirable, particularly in that it will be inexpensive, be easily applied and firmly held on the can top, be light and small so as not to objectionably add to the bulk of the can and which can be quickly and easily used first to punch the can openings and thereafter to clear such openings of any accumulation.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which the purposes of the invention are attained are further set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention but structure may be modified and changed within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the device as it appears attached to the can;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view showing the deviceattached and as used to punch one opening in the can top and with the punch swiveled to the opposite side to punch the second opening;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts appearing in Fig. 2, the body of the can shown broken away;

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged broken sectional view illustrating details of construction.

The punch proper comprises a conical point 7 sharpened preferably to an angle of about 60, carried at the underside of an upwardly sprung spring arm 8 swiveled over the center of the can top and topped by a rather extended fiat button 9 by which necessary pressure can be applied to perforate the top, as in Fig. 4.

The swivel for the point carrying arm is shown provided by the reduced neck portion 10 of a center knob or handle 11 carried by crossed spring strips 12, 13 having relatively long angularly bent spring fingers or jaws 14, 15 extending downward in gripping engagement over the sides of the can.

These crossed arms are slightly longer than the diameter of the can top so as to carry the spring gripping arms over the bead usually present at the end of the can, and the spring fingers, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are

ice

inclined inwardly so as to reach in and firmly grip the sides of the can.

The supporting arms 12, 13 and center handle knob 11 may be soldered, brazed or otherwise secured together but at present it is preferred to extend the shank of the knob through both the arms and rivet it over at the lower end, as indicated at 16 in Fig. 4, thus to secure these three parts together and the point carrying spring 8 swiveled on the shouldered portion 10 of the knob, all by this single fastening operation.

Instead of relying solely on the riveting action to hold the two arms in properly crossed relation, one arm may be countersunk to receive the other, as indicated at 17 in Fig. 1.

While the two crossed strips 12 and 13 may be secured at different angles or even be left swiveled on the shank of the center knob, it is usually preferred to have them in about the relation shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that is, at opposite sides of but relatively close to one diameter, thus to leave wider separation at opposite sides of the arms for punching the paired openings at 19, 20 in the top of and close to the rim of the can.

This arrangement also assures firm mounting and grip of the attachment over the top of the can and prevents the base portion of the device from being pulled off sideways or turning when the point carrying spring arm is rotated to shift from one hole location to the other.

The crossed supporting arms with the terminal spring fingers or gripping jaws may be made of light, thin, inexpensive strip stock and only a short length of spring strip is required to form the punch carrying arm. The whole construction is light in weight and takes up very little room, so it is entirely practical and desirable to leave the device as an attachment on the can, staying there until the can is empty, and ready at any time for use to clear the pouring and air vent openings. The center knob provides a convenient handle for pushing the spring gripping jaws down into fully seated position over the end of the can and as a means for lifting the device olf the can when the latter is empty.

What is claimed is:

1. Attachment for an evaporated milk can or other such container, comprising crossed strips of spring material to extend across the top of such a can and having downwardly bent ends to embrace the sides of the can at opposite sides of a diameter of the can whereby to hold on the can against rotational or lateral separating movement, a

handle knob secured over said crossed strips at the approximate center of the can structure, an upwardly bowed spring swiveled on said center knob, a conical punch dependent from the free end of said spring and a flat pushbutton on said free end of the spring over said punch.

2. The invention according to claim 1, in which said center button has a downwardly projecting stud portion riveted through the crossed spring strips and a reduced neck portion on which the punch carrying spring is swiveled.

3. The invention according to claim 1, in which one of the spring strips is soldered to engage the edge of the other strip whereby the two strips are held in fixed angular relation and in which the center button is riveted through the two strips and is provided with a reduced neck portion on which the point carrying spring is swiveled.

No references cited. 

